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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. saw — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. land — a country
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wound — an injury
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. drill — a practice
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. drill — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com